Lifting device.



PATENTED AUG. 6. 1907.

J. HARTOGH. LIFTING DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED 1120.19, 1906.

2 SHEETSSHEET 1.

%JJ' 4- I *6 dttozmws PATENTED AUG. 6, 1907.

J. HARTOGH. LIFTING DEVICE. APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 19, 1906.

2 SHEETSS]IEBT 2.

31mm Jab/2 HOrfay/a wAsumamn. n. c.

JOHN HARTOGH, OF ELMA, IOWA.

I LIFTING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 6, 1907.

Application filed December 19, 1906. 3611941 3435 To all whom it mayconcern:

Be it known that 1, Joan Hnnrosn, a citizen of the United States,residing at Elma, in the county of Howard and State of Iowa, haveinvented certain new and useful Improvements in Lifting Devices; and Ido hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appcrtains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in lifting devicesand more particularly that class adapted to be used in removing hayracks or the like from vehicles and is designed as an improvement over apatent granted to me on October 30, 1906 and numbered 834381.

My object is to provide a cheap and economical device for lifting therack or bed and removing the same from the vehicle with a minimum amountof labor.

A further object is to provide means for retaining the rack in itselevated position.

Other objects and advantages will be hereinafter referred to and morefully pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which are made a part of this application,Figure 1 is a side elevation of my improved device showing the rack inits elevated position and above the vehicle. Fig. 2 is a similar viewshowing the device in readiness to elevate the rack. Fig 3 is a top planview of the lifting device. Fig. l is a front elevation thereof. Fig. 5is a perspective view of the rack supporting bar, and Fig. 6 is aperspective view of a spring latch employed in connection with myimproved lifting device.

Referring to the drawings in which similar reference numerals designatecorresponding parts throughout the several views 1 indicates the vehiclewhich may be of the usual or any preferred form and provided with frontand rear standards 2 and 3 respectively said standards being disposed inpairs and adapted to receive therebetween any suitable form of rack orbed 4.

In order to readily elevate the rack and remove the same from thevehicle I have provided a pair of posts 5 the lower ends of said postsextending below the surface of the ground and are pivotally secured toarms 6 extending laterally from a vertically disposed post 7 said posthaving its lower end firmly embedded within the ground. Secured to theupper end of said vertical post is a rail 8 which is disposed at anangle to the vertical plane of the post 7 and has its opposite endsecured to a brace post 9 the lower end of which is similarly embeddedwithin the ground. The posts 5 are adapted to swing upon the arms 6 andthereby assume a substantially horizontal or vertical position. The freeend of each of the posts 5 are provided with registering slots 10 inwhich are adapted to take the ends of a supporting bar 11 which isadapted to engage blocks 12 secured to the bottom of the rack 4 andsubstantially' at the central portion thereof. As considerable weight isdirected upon the bar 11 it is necessary to brace the same in order toprevent sagging thereof and to this end I have provided a pair of bracewires 13 which are secured at their opposite ends to blocks 14 carriedby the upper edge of the supporting bar 11 and one upon each side of thesupporting bar. The wires are directed through tension blocks 15 whichare disposed below the supporting bar 11 and are adapted to engage thelower edge thereof, that portion of the wires between the tension blocksbeing brought together and twisted thereby holding said blocks apredetermined distance apart and when it is desired to exert a greatertension upon the brace wires the blocks 15 are moved away from eachother and thereby increasing the tension upon the wires.

In order to support the rack in its elevated position I have provided anauxiliary post 16 which is pivotally secured to an anchor post 17 whichis in turn firmly I seated within the ground the upper end of saidanchor post extending a distance above the pivot point 18 and is adaptedto be engaged by a spring latch 19 carried by the auxiliary post 16 sothat when said auxiliary post is moved to a vertical position the latch19 will engage the anchor post and hold the auxiliary post firmly inplace.

Adjustabl y secured to the upper end of the auxiliary post 16 is anauxiliary latch 20 which is adapted to engage any suitable form ofkeeper 21 secured to the end of the rack 4 so that when the auxiliarylatch is moved into engagement with the keeper the rack will be heldsubstantially horizontal upon the supporting bar 11..

In order to hold the rack in a substantially horizontal position uponthe supporting bar 11 when said bar is disposed into any one of theregistering slots 10 I have provided a plurality of openings 22 in theauxiliary post 16 which are arranged to correspond to the distancebetween the slots in the posts 5 and said openings are disposed in pairsone of which is adapted to receive a bolt 23 while the opposite openingis adapted to receive a pin 24 so that when said bolt and pin aredirected into the openings the auxiliary latch will be fixed withrespect to the auxiliary post. The free end of the bolt 23 is threadedto receive a wing nut 25 so that said auxiliary latch may be readilyreleased and adjusted to the different sets of openings upon theauxiliary posts.

In operation the auxiliary post 16 and the posts 5 are lowered ordisposed substantially to a horizontal position after which the vehicleis driven between the posts 5. The supporting bar 11 is then disposedbelow the bottom of the rack and into the slots in the posts, afterwhich the bar and posts are elevated until they engage the lower edge ofthe rack when by moving the vehicle outwardly the posts will pivot uponthe arms 6 and elevate the rack and in order to prevent the rack fromslipping rearwardly I secure to the lower edge thereof cleats 26 whichare adapted to engage the standards 3.

and prevent rearward movement of the rack.

As soon as the vehicle has been moved forward a sufficient distance todispose the posts 5 in a vertical position or into engagement with theposts 7 the rear end of the rack is elevated out of engagement with thestandards 3 and the auxiliary post 16 moved into a vertical position andthe auxiliary latch 20 directed into engagement with the keper 21 thespring latch 19 at the same time engaging the upper end of the anchorpost 17 and thereby readily holding the auxiliary post in its verticalposition. By this construction it will be seen that the rack is elevatedby the draft animals and it will further be seen that by placing thesupporting bar at substantially the center of the rack that the rear endof the rack may be readily elevated without the requirement of unduemanual labor.

When it is desired to replace the rack upon the vehicle said vehicle isplaced substantially as shown in Fig. l of the drawings after which theauxiliary post 16 is removed from engagement with rack and said racktilted until the cleats 26 are again directed into engagement with thestandards 3 whereupon by moving the vehicle rearwardly the posts 5 willswing upon their respective pivot points and lower the bed upon thevehicle.

In order to securely retain the bed in its elevated position and toprevent the same from being blown from the lifting device I provide acable 27 one end of which is adapted to be secured to the forward end ofthe rack while the opposite end thereof is secured to an anchor 28 thisconstruction being shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings. It will now be seenthat I have provided a very cheap and economical device for raisingracks or the like and suspending the same in an elevated position and itwill further be seen that this result may be accomplished without theemployment of an undue amount of manual labor. It will further be seenthat I have provided positive means for holding the rack in its elevatedposition.

Whatl claim is 1. The herein described means for elevating, and supporting a rack comprising vertically disposed posts, parallel postspivotally secured to said vertically disposed posts, a brace post, arail connecting said vertically disposed post and brace post, asupporting bar adapted to be disposed between said parallel posts andenter slots therein said bar being disposed below the rack and intoengagement with blocks thereon, an anchor post at a dis tance from saidparallel posts, an auxiliary post pivotally secured thereto, means onsaid auxiliary post adapted to engage said anchor post and hold theauxiliary post in a vertical position, a latch at upper end ofsaidauxiliary post adapted to engage said rack and hold the same in itselevated position.

2. In a device of the class described, the combination with a pair ofelevating posts, of an auxiliary post, an anchor post therefor and meansat the upper end of said auxiliary post adapted to engage a rack carriedby the elevating posts and hold the same in a substantially verticalposition..

The combination with a pair of pivotally mounted posts and a supportingbar therefor, of an anchor post, an auxiliary post pivotally secured tosaid anchor post and a spring latch on said auxiliary post adapted toengage the upper end of said anchor post and hold the auxiliary post ina vertical position.

4. The combination with a pair of elevating posts and a supporting bartherefor, of an anchor post, an auxiliary post pivotally secured to saidanchor post and at a point below the upper end thereof, means carried bysaid auxiliary post adapted to engage the upper end of said anchor postand hold said auxiliary post in a vertical position. an auxiliary latchat the upper end of said auxiliary post and means to removably andadjustably secure said latch to the auxiliary post.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses.

JOHN IIARTOGH.

Witnesses F. D. ELWOOD, J '1. Arms.

